Around mid 2000’s I decided to sell my 1997 VW Gol (see COAL here) and search for another car. What should I look for? After owning two VW Gol in a row I decided for a different thing, not only a different car but also another brand, one that I had always liked, especially because it’s comfortable and reliable, and somewhat more upmarket cars than those I had usually driven… a Chevrolet. But it wouldn’t be a nice road cruiser like an Opala with a 250 ci engine nor a 2.0 liter Monza or a Kadett; all of then cars which for sure I liked very much. That’s the story of my 2002 Chevrolet Corsa Wind, a car that left really good memories.

Before I enter the proper story of my own Chevrolet I must touch a background subject. Until a few years ago all I used to read about cars was books and magazines. As for magazines, since a kid I used to read the Brazilians and, less often then I would like, the foreigners. I subscribed the English “Thoroughbred & Classic Cars” for about four years. Whenever as possible I used to buy other European and American magazines about new or antique cars. I had known the big three Americans for a long time didn’t read them regularly. That old fashioned reading habit wasn’t explained by aversion to more modern internet media but just because I really didn’t bother about searching for new grounds or had not found interesting new sources when I tried.

Only like five years ago when I got my first smartphone I got in to the habit of reading independent automotive websites on a daily basis. That was when I got very surprised about some quality issues GM had faced on other markets. I got almost shocked that some Chevys were considered not well built and not well engineered. How could that happen with a company that built true classics like the Bel Air, Impala, Camaro and many others in USA and in Brazil built from tough trucks to nice sedans?

Chevrolet goes back a 100 years in Brazil. It started in the 1920’s when they were assembled locally as CKDs. Until the 1960s, car sales here were ridiculously low in this country but apparently there were quite a few Chevrolets. Just look at old pictures of São Paulo (my town) traffic jams to spot Chevys, many with 20 years or more. My memories from childhood are clear about how older folks like my father, who was born in the 1940’s, were generally big fans of the bow tie more than any other brand.

So, for most Brazilian drivers born before 1980 (I’m not able to make any consideration on younger people’s opinion on cars) Chevrolet have traditionally held a very good reputation. It had begun passenger cars local production in 1968 with the Opala (CC here) based on the Opel Rekord C (CC here). The Opala line was sold under three trim levels, from base Opala, midrange Comodoro to top Diplomata, as 4 door sedan, 2 door pillarless coupe and 3 door wagon (Cavaran). It was very successful considering it was relatively pricey and heavy on gas.

In the 1973 came the Chevette, similar to the Opel Kadett C but with an engine engineered by Isuzu (CC here on the Opel and here on the American), which also spanned a pretty long production run and sold very well. Even in Brazil’s closed market a bad car wouldn’t survive 20 years with just facelifts and a few mechanical updates.

Then the Monza came in 1982 to fill the huge price-size gaps between the Chevette and Opala. It had a slow start but GM quickly made important improvements and it’s sales grew to be best selling car in 1985 to 1987, the only time ever a non basic-non small car accomplished that in Brazil. The Monza was basically an Opel Ascona (CC here on the Opel). The list goes but I should cut it short with the Vectra and the Omega. First and second generations of the Brazilian Vectra were just like the Opel brother, and the third and last generation was a modified Opel Astra. The Omega, built as sedan and wagon was pretty similar to the Opel of the same name. It was a real luxury car in Brazil and maybe because of this it had a short career here.

Therefore, considering the Brazilian market was (still is) dominated by small inexpensive cars, Chevrolet had an upmarket biased lineup and more than that, at least until then, none of it’s cars had got a bad reputation nor were huge market flops. Probably few people in Brazil will disagree that Chevrolet has been among the brands with the smaller number of cars that turned to be market failures.

Around mid 2000’s I made my mind about replacing my 1998 VW Gol 1000 Mi and started researching the market for a used and economical hatchback. A newer Gol would have high insurance costs and I was a tired of its hard suspension. But the worst problem was to find a good used example. At the time I was temporally living in Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais) and finding a good used car there was not easy, I don’t have a clue why.

I went to my home town of São Paulo and started searching. I became aware that a used Chevrolet Corsa of the same price range and model year would be in much better shape than any VW Gol I could find. I did a little check with some friends who had previously owned Corsas to clear any doubt about reliability and got me a green light. Then it was just a matter of finding the right car. For a little more money I could have had a 5 door but I deliberately looked after a 3 door. Why bother with more doors and weight, I didn’t have kid, I was single and living by myself! I found a good one 2001/2002 (so it was a 3 year old car) very clear and well maintained with only 16 thousand km (10 thousand miles).

My 2002 Chevrolet Corsa Wind

The Opel Corsa (Mk2 or Corsa B) was released in Europe in 1993 replacing the original Corsa A. But in Brazil the only small car Chevrolet offered at the time was the 20 years old Chevette. The guys really rushed to replace it with the new car to match increasing competition: the Volkswagen Gol was old at the time but was the market best seller, Fiat Uno was a huge success, plus the new offerings by VW, Fiat and Ford were underway. GM released the Corsa in 1994, only one year after the European. It was the first small entry level car in Brazil to offer electronic fuel injection and was also innovative in terms of comfort level and style: finally a 1.0 liter car could be not a punishment to ride.

My 2002 Chevrolet Corsa Wind

And unlike in Europe, in Brazil and Latin America the Corsa spawned a whole family.Offered first as 3 door hatchback only, with 1.0 liter engine (50 hp, some years later upgraded to 60 hp) and 1.4 liter (60 hp), in 1995 came the 5 door hatchback, the four door sedan that outlived the original hatchback by more than 10 years the pick-up know just as Corsa Pick-Up.

The same year a new 1.6 liter (92 hp) engine was offered for the sedan, pick-up and some versions of the hatchbacks. In 1995 the sporty Corsa GSI was released only as 3 door hatchback, with a 1.6 liter 16 valve making 108 hp. According to sources it was faster than the Gol GTI that used a much bigger 2.0 liter engineIn 199 Chevrolet released theCorsa Wagon.The hachbacks remained in production in Brazil until 2002 when the new generation Corsa C was released.

A Corsa hatchback like mine weighted 870 kg (1,918 pounds), measured 3.73 m (147 in) long, with a 2.44 m (96 in) wheelbase, 1.61 m (63,4 in) wide and 1.39 m (54,7 in) high. But I must write about my Corsa, and what a nice car it was. First the design which I consider, between similar sized cars, one of the most beautiful and certainly the most handsome since it was released. I refer to the 3 door model because I don’t see so much harmony on the 5 door: the Corsa Mk2 is probably a rare case of a small hatchback with different rear sheet metal depending on the number of doors. Mine, being a 2002, was the last production year of the Corsa B hatchback. It was the base Wind model, with the 1.0 liter with multipoint electronic fuel injection and 60 hp. Torque was 8,3 kgfm at 3.000 rpm.

I don’t know how it could be so spacious inside even being so rounded on the outside. Ergonomics were really good for me, I used to get a nice driving position even without tilting wheel drive or seat height regulation. And the seats were among the most comfortable I can remember, because of the nice cushion. It was like it had soft springs inside and other cars only thin foam over timber board.

By the way, why so many newer cars have overly hard seats? Do people really like them? Maybe the problem for me is caused by the horrible condition of the streets in my town. I remember that around 1990 I read on a Brazilian magazine called Auto Esporte a test drive of a Porsche 944 Turbo. The journalist stressed the fact that the seats were really hard but it was expected in a true sports car. I wonder what he could say about some regular cars of today.

I remember one time I made a trip on the back seat of my Corsa and still considered it comfortable. Of course that had to do with the suspension, smooth on the right manner, without being floppy and very well behaved on curves or high speeds. I did many 250-500 miles trips with very little tiring compared to other cars I had driven and many bigger cars I drove later.

Of course these cars can’t be mistaken as highway cruisers or even be compared to bigger hatchbacks like, for example, a Ford Focus in which a longer wheel base makes a lot of difference in ride quality. But my point is: I only could afford an inexpensive car so it makes sense to compare to similar priced cars. As a whole the driving experience with the Corsa was a revelation. Being a Chevy, I expected it would be comfortable, but I underestimated the riding quality because I thought that wasn’t possible in a car of that tiny size.

Did I mention it didn’t have air conditioning, power windows, power locks and other amenities very common even on Brazilian cars of today? Maintenance? Only regular preventive and no breakdowns at all in 50 thousand km (31 thousand miles). This things may look fragile but aren’t. Actually there’s still plenty of then on the road in São Paulo, my town. Some are pretty beat up but many are looking integer, including the upholstery. But what about the engine? Well, I did a little research on a couple of car sales websites and found many with over 100 thousand miles (it’s enervating that many people here doesn’t care to fill up even basic information on their sales announcements).

By that time I was married and had to adjust to somewhat different less thrift tastes and habits. To end up, selling it was very easy and fast. It took just 3 hours in a big open car market fair. A young guy came with a fellow mechanic and made a good offer. Deal But I still miss my beloved Corsa.

29 Comments

At first Corsa was a name used on the Ascona B models by OPel, for a slghtly more upmarket version
I still remember the Guy’s face who proudly bought a metallic blue new Opel Ascona Corsa, when my buddy said to him that Corsa was Spanish for rust. He immediately hated that car and later told my friend that Corsa was Italian for Race.

Brazilian Chevrolet Corsas were very popular here in Uruguay, from the frist 3 door hatchbacks, to the 4 door sedan and the station wagon, which was usually imported from Argentina. Through the years, there were 1.4, 1.0 and 1.6 gas engine, as well as a 1.7 diesel from Isuzu. Diesels were very popular here at the turn of the 00’s and up to the end of the decade, many being put in the taxi business. The cars were too small and tight for taxi service, despite the nice trunk of the sedan. In Montevideo, our capital, there has been a regulation for about 20 years calling for a mandatory fiberglass division behind the front seats, for the driver’s safety. Needless to say, many accidents have happened against that division, seat belts notwithstanding. So, space is usually at a premium on rear seats, taxis usually being very small. But the Corsas were unexpensive, very serviceable, and very efficient. Some cab owners kept them for all of 1.000.000 km, and some of them have been reported as not having needed even a ring job up to that time. Believe it or not….it’s hard to believe. A friend of mine bought one of those with 800.000 km as a daily driver; he had the separation uninstalled, brush painted the roof (cabs were black with a yellow roof up to some years back; now they are white), cleaned it up, and off he went. That’s not to say they were unbreakable. They need much maintenance, but if properly cared for, which most taxis aren’t, they are good cars.
Wow, I just realized I wrote too much. Have fun!

1mm KM without a ring job? Very impressive. I’ve been to Brasil on business, but perhaps because I didn’t need to drive myself, I never paid much attention to what was on the road.

One thing I do remember when visiting São Paulo was the guy I had to see drove an Audi A4 reinforced with heavier glass and Kevlar for protection. I don’t know how well it worked, but you couldn’t roll down the windows to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Very interesting! Both the perspective on GM quality and the Brazilian naming … Comodoro, Diplomata … I was expecting to see Impalo or Cavaliera too. But “Cavaran”: was that a typo or was that in fact the name of the wagon? By the way, I drove all over Europe, much of it with three full size American males, in a first-gen Opel Corsa rental car and have very fond memories.

There was in fact a typo. The correct name was Caravan, a longtime brand used by Opel for its station wagons. The Rekord Station Wagon was called “Caravan” as late as 1982. And if I remember correctly, Caravan was also used for the Holden Commodore (someone from Australia will probably be able to confirm this)

Aussie here. ‘Caravan’ is what you tow behind your Commodore wagon. (Think Top Gear). Using that name for a wagon here would get you laughed off the market! 🙂
On a related theme, Holden had a limited edition ‘Vacationer’ wagon back in the seventies, but vacation isn’t a word we use in our dialect of English, it would mark you as a foreigner – we would say ‘holiday’. Aren’t dialects wonderful?

The saloon version was also sold in India. Never had a saloon or pick-up here in the UK, but the latter is rather cute. So far only the Corsa C model (2000-06) has had the same rear on both 3 and 5 door hatchback models.

There was a pick-up, called the “Corsa Combo”, that was imported from Germany (because that body was not produced in Brazil). It also came with the 1.7 diesel Isuzu engine. Wikipedia says there was a “Vauxhall Corsa Combo” for the UK. Then again, someone may have had too much enthusiasm supposing all Opels had a Vauxhall counterpart

The Cevrolet Celta (Suzuki Fun as assembled in Argentina) was a third-world, simpler Corsa, produced from around 2000, with the same basic underpinnings and a different body and interior. It came for a long time as a 3 door hatchback only, adding later a 4-door version. There was also a sedan with a different name. I went to Wikipedia to check some facts and found that the one pictured there is from Uruguay also. Small world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Celta

How interesting.just like you I was not aware of GM having a lot of issues in North America’s market till I bought my smart phone in 2011.GM always had tons of Fans here in IRAN.Even my Dad Remembers During 1979 Hostage crisis(Big Mistake Made By A few Idiots) One Of those conditions was that GM Keeps Sending Parts For Locally Built Novas,Skylarks,sevilles.That Is How They stayed in Production Till Late 80s.

So you bought a Holden Barina ‘City’, thats how the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa was badged down under, good cars, fun to drive quite reliable, I drove a friends 99 model quite a lot, Oddly enough there was no ute version here there was a van and I recently saw a Vauxhall diesel van version, But Holden debased the Barina badge when the next model was based on a particularly horrible daewoo.

In GM’s restructuring plans, they have decided to hang on to South American operations, even though they are reportedly losing money, as the GM brand is so strong that they feel they can turn the operations around.

The sale of Opel included non-compete language so Peugeot cannot sell Opels using GM developed platforms in any market where GM is already established. It will be interesting to see what Korean/Chinese models GM decides to build in Brazil in the future.

Due to that non-compete language Peugeot is moving to shift Opel models to PSA platforms in a hurry. The Corsa had been planned for a new generation in 2019, using an existing GM platform. The new model introduction has now been delayed to 2020 to allow time to develop a Peugeot based Corsa.

The Corsa is also the basis for the Opel Adam. GM must have received a torrent of demands for the Adam to be offered in the US as they produced a presentation of how expensive it would be to bring the Adam into compliance with US regulations, so we received the Korean designed Spark and Sonic instead.

I would have had a very hard time keeping my hands off an Adam, especially the “open air” version with it’s huge sun roof and somewhat more purposeful appearance than a Fiat 500 Cabrio.

I find it quite ridiculous that a completely unrelated company can somehow continue a name. AFAIC the brand is dead to me.
It’s analogous to GM buying the Panther tooling and continuing it.
“Crown Victoria, by Chevy!”

I find it quite ridiculous that a completely unrelated company can somehow continue a name. AFAIC the brand is dead to me.

My understanding is Opel will continue to use it’s existing model names, Corsa, Astra and others, but the names are being moved onto models derived from Peugeot platforms.

GM paid the development costs of the platforms under the existing Opel models, so GM is retaining ownership of that intellectual property. In the past, GM had assigned development work for some of the smaller platforms to Opel. That work will now probably be reassigned to Korea or China.

GM Brazil appears to have already dropped Opel model names. Their current line includes the Onix, Prisma, Cobalt and Spin, all of which appear to be on the Gamma platform which is developed in Korea, and the Cruze.

“I got almost shocked that some Chevys were considered not well built and not well engineered. How could that happen with a company that built true classics like the Bel Air, Impala, Camaro and many others in USA and in Brazil built from tough trucks to nice sedans?”

It is called hubris and arrogance. GM thought they were the best car company in the world and that even if they made a car half-assed that people will buy it because GM was #1.

One thing about hubris and arrogance is that it is contagious, Toyota seems to have caught it also. I give it 10 more years before we see a Hyundai or Kia as the 2nd best selling vehicle in the USA(The Ford F series pickup will always be #1)

Oh! the beloved Corsa. My father owned a 1998 5 door hathcback, the Wind version (even the ashtray was optional). It had the older 1.6 liter but it was extremely reliable. It served us for 9 years, being a victim of nearly-negligent maintenance. When we traded it in for a new car (another Corsa of course) the mechanic told us the engine had been running some weeks in three cylinders, and the car just kept going.
Its replacemen was a 2008 4 door sedan fully loaded (AC, electric windows, sport wheels, etc), it sported the newer 1.4 engine that had the same performance as the previous one but with a lower fuel consumption (Corsas have a reputation por being hungry). It worked properly until my dad tried to pass through a flooded road. When the water level began to reach the windows, the car stalled as the intake had absorbed water and passed it to the cylinders. We repaired the engine but it never behaved properly again. My dad traded it in for a Chery Tiggo in 2014.

In Argentina its practically an institution: Nearly 1 million sold from 1996 to 2016. Later in its life it was called Classic. A fairly earned name.

In looking at the pictures of the interior I see a lot of parts that look like they came from a Suzuki Swift/ Geo Metro/ Chevy Metro. Am I to assume that the platform and drive trains are also Suzuki based?

I see a lot of parts that look like they came from a Suzuki Swift/ Geo Metro/ Chevy Metro. Am I to assume that the platform and drive trains are also Suzuki based?

South American GM divisions come up with some unique combinations of available parts. A couple weeks ago, we were discussing how GM Brazil produced a sedan version of the Opel Astra H that used an Astra G instrument cluster. I would not rule out Suzuki parts being used here and there. Overall, the Brazilian Corsa looks like the Opel Corsa B of the 90s, which was a different car than what GM sold in the US as the Metro.

This is the instrument panel of a 93 Opel Corsa. Some elements match elements in the photo above and some are different. The rotary knob on the instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel to switch the headlights seems to be a German thing as I see that on other models designed in Germany from VW, BMW and Mercedes, including showing the German roots of my 2006 US Ford Focus.

Love reading your posts Eliminator! I worked in the Opel design studio during the 90s and was involved in some of the products you mentioned….One evening, as I was working in the advanced studio in Mörfelden, Dick Ruzzin, Design Director of Opel at that time came to me with a Polaroid photo of a prototype Corsa Pick-Up they were working on in Brazil, but were not happy with. Could I knock out a quick sketch of it to give to the GM do Brazil design director who was flying back that evening? That meant I had about an hour to do the work and get it to his office in Rüsselsheim, which was about 20 mins away. The sketch duly delivered,I completely forgot about it until about a year later when Mr. Ruzzin casually threw another Polaroid on my desk of the production ready model, taken from the same perspective as my drawing, saying “They did your sketch…” And they had…

Thanks for the comment! Very nice job you had and congratulations on what you accomplished on that sketch.
In my opinion the 80’s and early 90’s were the peak for European and Brazilian car designs. Since then I think it’s been mostly downhill, with a few exceptions.
I liked very much the design of Opel cars of the time too. Especially the Kadett, the Omega and the Corsa B which I thought were quite striking!
As for the Corsa Pickup, I remember very clear that one day a friend came to school with a magazine featuring some leak pictures of it. We all got really impressed! PS: He owned a Chevy (small pickup based on the old Chevette) so the new Corsa Pickup would be a natural successor of his car.

We did another Corsa based vehicle intended to compete with the Suzuki Samurai – I suppose we would now call it a CUV. This one was on the standard Corsa wheelbase and rear track ( the Brazilian pick-up has a longer wheelbase and wider rear axle). This was a running vehicle produced at Lotus in England and shown at Earls Court in 1993 as the Vauxhall Traka and later at the IAA in Frankfurt as the Opel Scamp….It got a positive reception (even Clarkson was nice about it!) and was seriously considered for production….